Do The Right Thing (1989)

Spike Lee’s 1989 classic Do The Right Thing stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Samuel L. Jackson, Rosie Perez, and John Turturro. It is one of the most widely taught films in modern film schools, and especially gained renewed respect during the racial reckoning after the murder of George Floyd, which felt strikingly similar to a death in the film.

Lee confirmed to Consequences of Sound in 2018 that there will never be a sequel to Do The Right Thing:

“People all the time want me to do a sequel to Do the Right Thing — I’m not doing that. There are just things that I’m not gonna touch. But other things, you know, I feel better about revisiting. But not Do the Right Thing. There is gonna be no prequel or sequel or remake of Do the Right Thing. That’s not happening.”

It seems this will remain one of the best movies that never had a sequel or remake, and it doesn’t need one — it feels painfully resonant today.